BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Gary Tarn is to make a documentary about customers of loan website Wonga.com.

12 Portraits will explore the real stories behind why people borrow from Wonga in the hope of producing a ‘modern, authentic and relevant portrait of British life today.’

The film is being shot on location around the UK using real customers who volunteered to take part, with Wonga saying it has given Tarn full creative control over the documentary.

‘I make cinematic documentaries so it seemed like a good opportunity when I was approached to tell the story of Wonga customers – a group of people who are often talked about, but rarely heard from,’ the filmmaker said.

Gary Tarn is best known for the film Black Sun

‘Wonga has over a million customers in the UK and my aim is simply to make portraits of a few of them by focusing on one aspect of their lives the company has touched on.

‘I have a completely free brief and see the film becoming a reflection of modern Britain, and Wonga’s place in it, as opposed to a documentary on Wonga the company.’

Niall Wass, chief operating officer of Wonga, added: ‘Wonga has rarely been out of the headlines this year. We have a few loud critics and, while scrutiny of mistakes we make is absolutely appropriate, the voice of people who actually use and value our services ­ the silent majority ­ is usually missing from the picture.

‘They are people from all walks of life using the service for lots of different reasons and it¹s great that such a respected filmmaker will capture some of these stories.’

The Wonga movie started shooting in July and is due for release later this year.